Cable and strand clamp



Dec. 1, 1931. l, J, MORSE 1,834,495

CABLE AND STRAND CLAMP y Filed oct. 8, 1930 Q zo 20 illllllii NVEN TOR,

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Decf 1, 1931 PATENT ortica' f IEVING J. Mossa, or BERKELEY, canna*oEivial CABLE-AND STRAND CLAMP applicati@ iieaoctobefs, 1930. seriai No. 487,243.

This invention'relates to-cable clamps.r

Hitherto, cable clampsin general use have been formed in complementary halves having parallel grooves therein which registerv soi vas e to frictionally grip the cable when the clampv is assembled thereon. lt has long been ap-i preciated that ifvthese grooves were sinuous that the elfectiveness of the clamp would be greatly increased. Various attempts have been made to produce 'cable clamps with to conform properly to the Vgrooves`.and as aV result point contact alone was obtained b e- J tween the cable and the clamp. This contact, of course7 is less ef'cient than the .straight groove type clamp Y of the clamps produced by these'priorH attempts was that the clamping halves were necessarily right and left and hadV to be se applied.

lt is the principal object ofthe present invention vto provide a. generally 'improved .clamp of the type referred to wherein the grooves are sinuous but so formed that there is a lack of frictional resistance 'to bending the cable to conform with the grooves and which enables the clamping halves to vbe iden- .tical in construction and not right and left.

One form which the invention may assume is exemplified in the `followingdescription and illustrated byway of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one of the -clamping halves of a-clamp embodying the preferred form of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through an assembled clamp taken centrally .through one of the grooves therein. Fig. 3 is a similarl view talzen through the opposite groove.

Fig. Il; is a transverse sectional view taken through line lV-IV of Fig. 2. M. llig. 5 is a transverse sectional view taken 569A'through line V-V of Fig. 2.

Another disadvantage lected in pairs rwhen the clamps were to be' .F ig. 6 is a view disclosing the manner in which the clamps are produced. Y l

Referring more particularly to the Vaccompanying drawings, 10 indicates a clamp in two complementary halves 11 and 12. These halves are identical in construction so that they need not be formed right and leftvhand. VThis is a considerable advantage as' it enables clamps to be assembled at the work without the necessity of selecting a pair consistingof a right and a left-hand clamping half. It also, of course, simplies the production of the clamps. i

The inner face of each clamping half is formedvwith a pair of parallel grooves 14 and 15 which extend longitudinally from endto end ofthe clamp at equally spaced distances at opposite sides of its longitudinal center as illustratedin Fig. 1f. The grooves in the face of each clamping half are-semicircular in cross section and comprises what I prefer` to term a straight portion 16 at opposite ends of the clamp7 which portions are parallel to the face of the clamp in which the .grooves are formed. At the center of the clamp a straight portion 17 is formed which extends at equal distances beyond each side of the center as illustrated. This center straight portion 17 is exactly in axial alignment with the straight portions 16 at the 'ends of the clamp.

Intermediate the straight portion 17 and the end portions 16 the groove is oppositely offset as at 18 and 19 so that in reality theV groove is sinuous in character. The two grooves in the .clamp areopposite, that is to say, the straight portions 16k and 17 are similar but the olfsets are relatively opposite. That is to say, the concave offset of the portion 18 in groove 15 will be opposed in the other groove by a convex offset, while the vconvex offset 19 in groove 15 will be opposed by a concave offset in groove 14.-. The offsets are symmetrically arranged, however', so that two clamping halves of exactly the same formation may be brought into register to form two sinuous grooves of the same diameter throughout.

The clamping halves are formed with aligned bolt holes 20, in this case three being shown, one exactly in the center and the other tivo spaced at equal distances upon opposite sides of the center. These bolt holes are adapt-ed to receive bolts 21 to clamp the halves together when they are assembled on a cable.

In Fig. 6 I have shown one method of forming the clamping halves. This method consists principally in providing a roller of a cam like contour of a formation alternately forming the straight sections and the offset sections of the grooves in a fiat bar. In practice, a flat bar of Lthe correct dimensions is fed beneath the roller and as the roller engages the same it will forni the ,parallel grooves therein at properly spaced intervals. As vthe central straight section 17 is equal in length to vboth of the straight sections 16, the bar a'ter being rolled may be cut centrally through alternate straight sections, thus forming the clamping halves. By this method the clamping halves may be inexpensiv-ely produced.

In use, When a clamp is to be assembled on the cable, the latter is usually under tension. The clamping halves are asseinbledover the tivo strands and the bolts 2l applied. As these bolts are -draivn up, the high portions of the ygrooves Will engage the cable ando'iliset the same into the offset portions of the grooves before the cable comes in frictional contact With the straight portions of the grooves at the ends thereof. This enables the cab'le to be drawn inwardly from op posite ends .of the clamp to accommodate the offsets before the ends of the grooves are in frictional contact with the .cable and it is 'in this manner that I overcome the frictional resistance Which hitherto made it irnpractical to provide a clamp of this character with sinuous grooves.

is the clamp is tightened into place, the cable is engaged by the surfaces of the grooves throughout its length so as to ol tain a maximum frictional contact with the cable. I have found in actual practice that the formation of the grooves here disclosed produc-es a clamping action with a frictional grip more than three times greater than the ordinary type of clamp having straight grooves. Y

F rom the foregoing it is obvious that I have provided a simple and ei'iicient clamp for clamping cable which is inexpensive to produce and which will be highly efficient 1n use.

While I have shown the preferred form of my invention, it is to be understood that various changes may be made in its con-V struction by those skilled in the art Without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I-Iaving thus described my invention, What Y I claim and desire to sec-ure by Letters Patent is:

:tending shortof the ends of the clamp, the

offsets of one groove being relatively opposed to `theolfsetsof the opposite groove,

and means for clamping said halves together in matched relation.

2. .A cable clamp including a pair of clamping halves, said halves having registering portions of parallel grooves formed in .their contiguous surfaces and extending the entire length thereof, each groove having va straight portion at the opposite ends thereof, said portions being of equal length, said .grooves having a straight portion extending an equal distance beyond both sides of the center of the clamp, each groove having opposed offsets therein intermediate the straight portions, said osets being compleinentary., the offsets of one groove being relatively opposed to the voffsets of .the other groove, and means for clamping said halves together in matched relation.

3. A cable clamp including a pair of clamping halves, said halves having registering 'portions of parallel grooves formed in their contiguous surfaces and extending the entire length thereof, each groove having a straight portion at the opposite ends thereof, said portions being of equal length, said grooves having a straight portion extending an equal distance beyond both sides of the center of the clamp, each groove having opposed offsets therein intermediate the straight portions, said olfsets being complementa-ry, the offsets of one ,groove being relatively opposed to the oifsets of the other groove, said center straight portion being equal in length to the combined lengths of the vend straight portions, and clamping means for .clamping the halves together.

IRVING J. MORSE. 

